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Still, the cat situation seemed to pull him out of the well of guilt and he talked excitedly about what he would do to help. He would set up a trap, neuter, and release program and pay locals to take them to the vets in La Spezia.
There were even more cats when we descended to Vernazza. They prowled the cobblestone streets and hopped on chairs to beg from tourists eating lunch. Will pet the ones that approached him, grief stirring in his eyes when they pawed his hand.
“I didn’t know you were such a bleeding heart,” I said as I stroked the yellowed, filthy fur of a white cat.
“I like animals, andI think I should help them, especially when I have the means to do so.”
My fingers brushedhis hair. It was a sweet, sensitive side of him I’d never witnessed before.
“I think I’ve one more village in me and then I should head back to work.”
He smirked. “You sure that’s why you want to head back?”
My heart slammed against my chest, the brief image of Will ripping my clothes off consuming my mind.
The ascent to the next town made my thighs scream in protest, but the views were perhaps the most breathtaking. We were on the edge of the terrace, looking down at the inviting ocean stretched out as far as I could see.
“Let’s just stay here.You can buy a place and you can rescue cats and I can sell my paintings to tourists. You speak Italian—it would be perfect!”
Will turned around with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “Oh, yeah? You’d be happy staying here, playing house? What about all of your ambition?”
Watching the rolling waves had me hypnotized. “All of that doesn’t seem to matter anymore.”
“You would get bored of it. And I would drive you crazy.”
William wiped the sheen of sweat from his brow with the back of his dark hand and squinted at me under the sun.
"I don't think I’ll every get bored around you.”
“Why do you want me, Natalie?” he asked suddenly.
Are you kidding me? “I want you for your money, that’s all.”
“I would believe that, except that you haven’t asked me to buy you anything this whole trip.”
“Maybe I’m just waiting until we’re married.” I laughed at his widened eyes. “Relax, I’m just teasing.”
He shook his head and scowled at me with a don’t-joke-about-things-like-that expression. I brushed his hair from his face and fingered the back of his neck and ear. He closed his eyes.
“You’re a great guy and you’re fun to be around. Maybe I want you because you make me feel special. You realize you could get any girl you wanted, right?”
“Yes, but when you’re surrounded by people tripping over themselves to impress you, you look for something different. Someone like you. You treat me like you would anyone else. I’ve never met a girl who made me feel—normal.”
“Well—thanks.”
His hand tightened around my waist and he kissed my forehead. I hugged him, inhaling his scent and wanting more. He lifted my chin with his index finger and gave me a kiss that made me want to collapse in his arms. It was hard and biting, filled with all his pent-up sexual tension. He backed me against the fence separating the path from the vineyards and his hands groped my ass, squeezing hard. His tongue shoved into my mouth and mingled with mine, and then he retreated, giving my lips a small bite before he finally pulled back to breathe.
That fiery blaze was back in his eyes that said: I will fuck your brains out when we get back.
My palm slid down from his waist and anchored over the hard bump bulging in his shorts. He gasped as I squeezed him and I felt a little shock of excitement of my own. I kissed him and let go because there were people walking up the path.
William straightened himself before they caught up to us. He turned toward the fence as if he was tired. I stood beside him and laughed.
“Groping me in public,” he muttered, shooting me a hot glare.
When we reached the wind-swept Corniglia after a winding series of stairs that led down, we took the small train back to our bed-and-breakfast. Will kept his arm draped around me during the trip and I nestled in his embrace. It was almost as if we were a real couple. By the time we climbed Monterosso, the sun burned like orange glitter over the darkening water.
We held hands and walked along the beach, William’s flyaway hair flattened against his head. We kissed again, and the knowledge that we were so close to our hotel room made my heart throb with anxiety.
